The public prosecutor has filed an appeal against the High Court decision to free S Ambika, the woman from Penang who was accused of abusing her 21-year-old Indonesian domestic worker Adelina Lisao’s abuser, Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim said yesterday.
The DAP leader, who is also the youth and sports deputy minister, disclosed that the Attorney General’s Chambers is investigating how the assigned deputy public prosecutor (DPP) dropped the case when it went to court.
“With regards to the high court decision made on Adelina’s case on April 19, 2019, I have received information from reliable sources within the AGC that the following actions are being taken.
“AGC has filed an appeal against the said high court decision.
“An investigation is also being conducted on why the DPP had chosen to stop pursuing the case before this,” Sim said in a statement.
Adelina was found with severe injuries and was believed to have been abused at a house in Taman Kota Permai, Bukit Mertajam, Penang on February 10, 2018.
Videos showing her allegedly being forced to sleep with her employers’ dog on the porch outside the house for two months were widely circulated.
On February 11, she died of multiple organ failure while receiving treatment at Bukit Mertajam Hospital just a day after she was rescued from her employers’ house.
Her employer MAS Ambika was charged with murder but was acquitted earlier this month after the prosecution decided not to pursue the case.
The decision sparked an outcry from women’s groups and the Indonesian authorities.
Migrant rights group Tenaganita had also started an online petition on change.org demanding justice for Adelina.
Sim, who had been shocked by the verdict, welcomed the acquittal appeal as “good news for those who are seeking justice for Adelina.”
“I reiterate my confidence that the attorney-general, as well as the courts, will uphold justice and the rule of law in this case,” he said.
Related reports:
Apr 23, Justice for Adelina Petition Hits 10K Signatures, Lawyer Says Nothing Sinister with Acquittal
Apr 20, Tenaganita Wants A-G to Answer After Boss of Abused Maid Acquitted on Murder Charge